The invention relates to a photographic developing apparatus for the treatment of strips of photographic material. The photographic developing apparatus is of the type which incorporates an endless pull strip which travels through the various treatment stations of the developing apparatus and then returns back into the pull strip infeed location. The leading end of a strip of photographic material to be processed can be secured to the endless pull strip by means of clips. The photographic developing apparatus furthermore includes a light lock compartment which is light-tightly separated off from the interior of the developing apparatus proper. The light lock compartment is provided for the clipping on of the leading ends of strips to be processed. The photographic developing apparatus also includes an infeed passage which extends out from a holding socket for light-tight cassettes. The infeed passage leads into the interior of the developing apparatus proper at a location down-path of the light lock compartment, as considered in the direction of travel of the endless pull strip.
Federal Republic of Germany Pat. No. 1,190,338 discloses a photographic developing apparatus of the general type in question. In that apparatus, the infeed passage of the cassette holding socket closely adjoins the return path of the endless pull strip from the outside, oriented in direction opposite to the travel of the pull strip along its return path, and extending to an entrance slit for the back-travelling pull strip, the pull strip outside of this entrance slit being accessible for the clipping on of the the leading end of a photographic strip to be processed.
To block off the portion of the apparatus located down-path of the entrance slit for the pull strip, it is necessary to provide the path for the pull strip and the infeed passage down-path of the pull strip entrance slit with bends. These bends are a constant source of trouble when feeding the leading ends of photographic strips into the apparatus. Additionally, the length of this light lock compartment is relatively great, so that a corresponding length of photographic strip is wasted.